Gas vending system for health application

ABSTRACT

A gas vending system for health application, comprising: a healthy gas generator module, a control module, and a charging/payment module. The healthy gas generator module is used to generate a healthy gas. The control module is connected to the healthy gas generator module for monitoring the usage state of the healthy gas and generating a volume consumption signal for the healthy gas. The charging/payment module is connected to the control module for receiving the volume consumption signal for the healthy gas and then generating a toll after computing. The charging/payment module is adapted to accept cash or charging a debit card or credit card according to the toll.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of China PatentApplication No. 201310464565.0, filed Oct. 8, 2013, entitled “A GASVENDING SYSTEM FOR HEALTH APPLICATION,” and the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vending system, and moreparticularly, to a gas vending system for health application.

BACKGROUND

People are always paying a great deal of attention on healthdevelopments. Many developments in medical technology are often targetedtowards treating diseases and prolonging human life. Most of thetreatments in the past are passive, which means that they only treat thedisease when the disease occurs. These include methods such asoperating, medicating, radiation therapy, convalescing chronic diseases,rehabilitation, corrective therapy, or even medical treatment forcancer. But in recent years, much of the research from medical expertsare gradually moving towards preventive medical methods, such asresearch on healthy food, screening and preventing inherited diseases,which actively prevents diseases from occurring in the future. Becauseof this focus on prolonging human life, many anti-aging andanti-oxidation technologies including skin care products andanti-oxidation food/medicine are gradually being developed and havebecome increasingly popular to the general public.

In recent years, people have begun noticing the benefits ofaromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a natural way to make people feel relaxedand become healthier. Essential oils are extracted from aromatic plantsto act as a medium, which is then exposed to someone by using it formassaging, bathing, perfuming and so on. This method has existed sincethe ancient times of Egypt and is now gaining a lot of attention inEurope. In the prior art, people found that the plant's essential oilscan reach into the deep tissue layers of skin, that is then absorbed byblood vessels and reaches organs that can only be treated through bloodcirculation.

Therefore, the present invention provides a novel gas vending system anddevice for health application. The generated healthy gas for healthapplication makes people feel relaxed and is also suitable for medicaltreatment, while having anti-aging and anti-oxidation effects. Thevending system of the present invention can provide a convenient usageinterface, which allows users to use the present invention in acomfortable and convenient situation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a gas vending systemfor health application using an electrolyzing method to generate ahealthy gas. The present invention comprises a member/user managementmodule, used to completely record the usage state of the user to provideas references for the user or the manager of the system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a gas vendingsystem for health application having a charging/payment module. Thepresent invention also allows the user to conveniently pay using theirdebit card or credit card as it is connected to the banking systemthrough the Internet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a gas vendingsystem for health application having a multimedia device, used toprovide a comfortable situation for the user when being used. Themultimedia device can also be used to watch videos or surf the Internet.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the presentinvention provides a gas vending system for health application,comprising: a healthy gas generator module, used to generate a healthygas. A control module, connected to the healthy gas generator module formonitoring the usage state of the healthy gas and generating a volumeconsumption signal for the healthy gas. A charging/payment module,connected to the control module for receiving the volume consumptionsignal of the healthy gas and generating a toll after computing. Thecharging/payment module is adapted to accept cash or charge a debit cardor a credit card according to the toll.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the gas vendingsystem for health application further comprises a user management modulethat is connected to the control module and adapted to receive a userinput signal for altering the operations of the control module.According to one embodiment of the present invention, the gas vendingsystem for health application further comprises a communication modulethat is connected to the user management module and adapted to connectwith a database, used to receive the user input signal and then exchangeinformation with the database. According to another embodiment of thepresent invention, the gas vending system for health application furthercomprises an identification module that is connected to the usermanagement module and adapted to identify biological characteristics ofa user in order to generate the user input signal. According to anotherembodiment of the present invention, the gas vending system for healthapplication further comprises an input/output module, connected to theuser management module and adapted to receive an input from the user andthen generate the user input signal.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the gas vendingsystem for health application further comprises a display device that isconnected to the control module. According to other embodiments of thepresent invention, the gas vending system for health application furthercomprises: a video/Internet module that is connected to the controlmodule and the display device and adapted to provide a video output; anda communication module, connected to the video/Internet module, whereinthe video/Internet module is connected to an Internet through thecommunication module.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the gas vendingsystem for health application further comprises a communication module,connected to the charging/payment module, wherein the charging/paymentmodule is connected to a financial system through the communicationmodule.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the healthy gasgeneration module of the gas vending system for health applicationcomprises: a hydrogen and oxygen generation module, a water fillingmodule, and an atomized gas mixing module, wherein the hydrogen andoxygen generation module is used for generating hydrogen and oxygenthrough electrolyzing electrolyzed water, the water filling module isconnected to the hydrogen and oxygen generation module for filling theelectrolyzed water, and the atomized gas mixing module is connected tothe hydrogen and oxygen generation module to receive the hydrogen andoxygen and then selectively mixing a atomized gas to generate thehealthy gas.

According to the gas vending system for health application of thepresent invention, the user can be charged according to the volumeconsumption of the healthy gas through the charging/payment module. Thecharging/payment module is adapted to accept cash or charge a debit cardor credit card. Additionally, the present invention can completelyrecord the usage state of the user to provide as references for the useror the manager of the system through the user management module andcommunication module that is connected with the database. The gasvending system for health application of the present invention furthercomprises a video/Internet module and a display device, which allows theuser to watch videos or surf the Internet in a comfortable situationwhile using the present invention.

The advantages and spirits of the invention may be understood by thefollowing recitations together with the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference tothe following figures, wherein like designations denote like members,wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates the gas vending system for health application in anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the block diagram of the gas vending system forhealth application in an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of the hereinafter described embodiments of thedisclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way ofexemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.Although certain embodiments are shown and described in detail, itshould be understood that various changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope ofthe present invention will in no way be limited to the number ofconstituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, therelative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as anexample of embodiments of the present invention.

Studies have found that there is an instable oxygen species (O+), alsoknown as free radicals, in the human body. The free radicals are usuallygenerated due to diseases, diet, environment and one's lifestyle, andthe free radicals in the human body can be excreted in the form of waterby reacting with the inhaled hydrogen. With this method, the amount offree radicals in the human body can be reduced, thereby restoring thebody condition from an acidic state to an alkaline state, achieving ananti-oxidation, anti-aging and beauty health effect, and eveneliminating chronic diseases. Furthermore, there are clinicalexperiments showing that for patients who need to inhale a highconcentration of oxygen for a long time, the lung damage from the highconcentration of oxygen can be ameliorated by inhaling hydrogen.According to the statement mentioned above, gas including hydrogen isextremely beneficial in a healthy gas, which can be generated byelectrolyzing water.

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows the gas vending system for healthapplication in an embodiment of the present invention. According to someembodiments of the present invention, the gas vending system for healthapplication 100 comprises a main body 102. The main body 102 comprises arelative device for generating a healthy gas that includes hydrogen andoxygen and mixes the gas mixture including hydrogen and oxygen with avolatile essential oil and an atomized medicinal liquid. The relativedetails will be explained later. The gas vending system for healthapplication 100 further comprises a mask 106, connected to the relativedevice for generating a healthy gas comprised in the main body 102through a pipe 104 to provide a healthy gas that includes hydrogen andoxygen for the user to breathe. The gas vending system for healthapplication 100 further comprises a display device 108, such as adisplay panel which can be a liquid crystal display panel,light-emitting diode display panel or touch screen. The display device108 is used to display relative information of the gas vending systemfor health application 100, wherein the relative information comprises:the usage state of the gas mixture including hydrogen and oxygen,atomized medicinal liquid, or volatile essential oil, such as flow rate,temperature, or pressure; and/or the using state of relative devices,such as the temperature, water level, or pressure of the electrolysistank or the water bucket; and/or some relative alarm messages. Forexample, if the system has a gas leakage, the gas pressure of the gasmixture including hydrogen and oxygen is too high, the temperature ofthe devices are too high, or the water level of the electrolysis tank orthe water bucket is abnormal; and/or the user interface is abnormal,such as the user management interface, functional options interface,toll interface, video playing interface, and Internet surfing interface.In some embodiments, the relative information of the user managementinterface displayed by the display device 108 includes an account, usagetimes, usage volume, or suggested setting. In another embodiment, theuser management interface further connects with a database throughconnecting to the Internet, which is then used to connect the usagestate or relative data of the user to the database in order to providean exchanging function, such as a relative verification or an updatingfunction. All the relative information can be displayed through thedisplay device 108. In another embodiment, the video playing interfacecan play video or music for the user to enjoy while using the presentinvention. The relative information can also be displayed through thedisplay device 108. The Internet surfing interface can provide a browserthat allows the user to surf the Internet while using the presentinvention. The gas vending system for health application 100 furthercomprises an input/output device 110, such as a keyboard or touch panel,to allow the user to input relative messages, including an account,settings, or to select a function.

An emergency button 112 can further be configured in the gas vendingsystem for health application 100 and can be electrically connected tothe power supply. When the user meets an accidental situation, such asfeeling uncomfortable, or an emergent change of the surroundingconditions, the user can directly press the emergency button 112 and thesystem will cut off the power supply. The gas vending system for healthapplication 100 further comprises a medicinal liquid/essential oilsupply module 114, which can be connected to the relative device formixing the hydrogen and oxygen comprised in the main body 102. Themedicinal liquid/essential oil supply module 114 can be connected to amedicinal liquid/essential oil bottle 116 outside. The medicinalliquid/essential oil bottle 116 can be provided by the user, or boughtfrom the system vender and then connected to the medicinalliquid/essential oil supply module 114 according to the demand of theuser. After that is done, the medicinal liquid/essential oil will thenbe atomized and mixed with hydrogen and oxygen by the system comprisedin the main body 102 and is then provided for the user to breathe. It isworth noting that part of the medicinal liquid/essential oil can beprovided by the system vender and configured in the gas vending systemfor health application 100 for the user to use fundamentally. The gasvending system for health application 100 further comprises an imageacquisition device 118, such as a digital camera, used for acquiring theimage of the user to log in through face identification, monitoring theusage image of the user, or other purposes.

The gas vending system for health application 100 further comprises asound output device, comprising a loudspeaker 112, and/or earphoneconnector 120, which allows the gas vending system for healthapplication 100 to output sounds. For example, when the gas vendingsystem for health application 100 is abnormal, the present inventionwill not only display an alarm image through the display device 108 butalso output alarm sounds through the loudspeaker 112 and/or the earphoneconnector 120. When the user is using the video playing interface or theInternet surfing interface of the gas vending system for healthapplication 100, the image can still be displayed through the displaydevice 108 and the sounds can be outputted through the loudspeaker 112and/or the earphone connector 120. In addition, the gas vending systemfor health application 100 further comprises a card reader device 124,such as an IC chip card reader, a magnetic card reader, or a memory cardreader. The card reader device 124 is used to read an IC chip card,magnetic card, or memory card for identifying the identity of the user,charge the system, read the relative information of the user, or readthe information provided by the user and then importing the informationinto the system.

Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows the block diagram of the gasvending system for health application in an embodiment of the presentinvention. The gas vending system for health application 200 is similarto the statement mentioned above in FIG. 1. The main body 102 comprisesa relative device for generating a healthy gas that includes hydrogenand oxygen and mixes the gas mixture including hydrogen and oxygen witha volatile essential oil and an atomized medicinal liquid. The healthygas generator module 202 comprises: a hydrogen and oxygen generatormodule 204, a water filling module 206, and an atomized gas mixingmodule 208. Each module of the healthy gas generator module 202 isconnected to the control module 210 individually and then monitored andcontrolled by the control module 210. For example, the hydrogen andoxygen generator module 204 comprises an electrolysis tank forgenerating the hydrogen and oxygen through electrolyzing water. Theelectrolysis tank can include a plate formed electrolysis tank or adouble crested electrolysis tank. Because the electrolyzed watercontained in the electrolysis tank will be consumed throughelectrolyzing, the hydrogen and oxygen generator module 204 is connectedto the water filling module 206 in order to fill water into theelectrolysis tank through the water filling module 206. The controlmodule 210 will monitor the temperature of the electrolysis tank of thehydrogen and oxygen generator module 204, control the power supply ofthe electrolysis tank, and monitor the flow rate, temperature, andpressure of the generated hydrogen and oxygen and the water level,temperature, and pressure of the water filling module 206. All themonitored information mentioned above can be displayed through thedisplay device 222 in order for the user or the system manager to watchor operate, where the alarm messages can still be displayed when themonitored information is abnormal. Additionally, the atomized gas mixingmodule 208 is connected to the hydrogen and oxygen generator module 204,wherein the hydrogen and oxygen generator module 204 can comprise anatomized/volatile gas mixing tank and an oscillator. A liquid isatomized through the oscillator in order to generate anatomized/volatile gas, and then is mixed with the hydrogen and oxygen togenerate the healthy gas. The liquid, such as pure water, works as abase liquid for oscillating and atomizing; the liquid is selected from agroup consisting of an essential oil, a medicinal liquid, pure water anda combination thereof; the atomized/volatile gas that is then producedis preferably a volatile essential oil, an atomized medicinal liquid,atomized water vapor or a combination of two or three of above-mentionedvolatile/atomized items. The hydrogen and oxygen generator module 204can be selectively switched on/off according to the demand of the user.That is to say, the hydrogen and oxygen generator module 204 can beswitched on (for example, when actuating the oscillator) to provide thehydrogen and oxygen mixed with the atomized gas for the user to breathe,or the hydrogen and oxygen generator module 204 can be switched off (forexample, when switching off the oscillator) to provide hydrogen andoxygen only for the user to breathe. According to the statementmentioned above, the hydrogen and oxygen generator module 204 can beconnected to the medicinal liquid/essential oil supply module 114 inFIG. 1 in order to feed the medicinal liquid/essential oil into thehydrogen and oxygen generator module 204. According to the statementmentioned above, the healthy gas generated from the healthy gasgenerator module 202 can be connected to the pipe 104 in FIG. 1 to allowthe user to breathe through the mask 106.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the gas vending system forhealth application 200 further comprises a user management module 212.The user management module 212 can be used to manage the logging in andout of the user, user/member account, and relative individualinformation of user (including ID, connecting information, individualhealth treatment information, using record or other individualinformation). As shown in the FIG. 2, the user management module 212 isindividually connected to the input/output module 214, identificationmodule 216, and communication module 218. According to the statementmentioned above, the user can log in/out through a card reader device124 shown in FIG. 1, or an input/output module 214, includinginput/output device 100 shown in FIG. 1, such as a keyboard or touchpanel. The relative information will be displayed on the display device222. For example, the user can enter an account and certificationpassword through the input/output device 110 shown in FIG. 1 in order tolog in to the system, or in order to log in through the card readerdevice 124 and an IC chip card (such as a natural person chip card, orhealth insurance card). A user can also log in to the system through theidentification module 216. For example, the image acquisition device 118shown in FIG. 1 performs the facial identification for logging into thesystem. In some embodiments, the identification module 216 can include afinger print identification, voice print identification, retinopathyidentification, or any other individual biological characteristicsidentification. User can also use individual hand-held devices (such asa smart phone) to identify the identity through the communication module218 for logging into the system.

The user management module 212 can comprise a built-in database, used tostore relative information of the user in order to correlativelycertificate the logging in/out of the user mentioned above, or torelatively manage the information of the user, such as access right ordeposit information. Users also load in or enter relative individualinformation through the input/output module 214 mentioned above, whichincludes ID, connecting information, individual healthy treatmentinformation, or relative information of a debit/credit card. In someembodiments, the user management system can be connected to a clouddatabase 220 through the communication module 218 (such as broad-bandnetwork, wireless network, or mobile network). The database 220 canstore all the relative information of the user mentioned above.Therefore, when the user is logging in/out, the user management module212 can be connected to the database 220 through the communicationmodule 218 to certify the user's identity/account. As shown in FIG. 2,the user management module 212 is also connected to the control module210 to monitor and/or record the relative information of a user,including account access right or relative healthy treatmentinformation, supply of the health gas of the system, or usage state. Forexample, the user management module 212 can receive an advised value ora controlled value for the flow rate of the healthy gas or the mixingvolume of the atomized gas according to the health treatment informationof the user. The control module 210 controls the flow rate of thehealthy gas or mixing volume of the atomized gas, and the system willdisplay an alarm message or shut down when the advised value orcontrolled value is exceeded.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the gas vending system forhealth application 200 further comprises a charging/payment module 224,connected to the control module 210 and the communication module 218.The charging/payment module 224 generates a toll after computing a valueaccording to the received relative usage state of the user from thecontrol module 210, including used volume of the healthy gas, hydrogenand oxygen, and atomized gas. The charging/payment module 224 is adaptedto accept cash or charge a debit card, a credit card, or a depositmember card according to the toll. For example, the user can first paysome cash into the system through a cash register (not shown in theFIG.). The charging/payment module 224 will then charge according to thetoll corresponding to the volume used. When the toll corresponding tothe volume used is more than the cash the user paid before, the healthygas will no longer be supplied. Similarly, if the user inserts thedeposit member card/debit card into the card reader device 124 shown inFIG. 1 or uses the user management module 212 in order to enter relativeinformation of the deposit member card/debit card, the charging/paymentmodule 224 will charge according to the toll corresponding to the volumeused. When the toll corresponding to the volume used is more than thebalance remaining in the deposit member card/debit card, the healthy gaswill no longer be supplied. If the user inserts their credit card intothe card reader device 124 shown in FIG. 1 or uses the user managementmodule 212 to enter relative information of their credit card, thecharging/payment module 224 will charge according to the tollcorresponding to the volume used. The charging action mentioned aboveuses the communication module 218 to connect to a financial system, suchas a bank debit card system or credit card center in order to chargecorrespondingly.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the gas vending system forhealth application 200 further comprises a video/Internet module 226that is connected to the control module 210, the display device 222, anda communication module 218. The video/Internet module 226 can providevideo output through the display device 222 according to the demand ofuser. For example, playing videos, images, or music. The video/Internetmodule 226 can also allow the user to surf the Internet according to thedemand of the user through the communication module 218 that isconnected to the Internet. The video mentioned above can be playedautomatically through the control module 210. For example, the controlmodule 210 can play the video automatically when the user is using thehealthy gas according to the relative control options of the usermanagement module 212 preset by the user. In another embodiment, thevideo/Internet module 226 can also predetermine some play modes to playautomatically when the user is using the system. For example, thevideo/Internet module 226 can play a specific video if the specificatomized essential oil is selected to be used. Furthermore, thevideo/Internet module 226 can play a video automatically when nobodyusing the system, such as an advertisement video. The video played bythe video/Internet module 226 can be built-in the system or downloadedfrom the Internet through the communication module 226.

To summarize the statement mentioned above, the gas vending system forhealth application of the present invention can use a charging/paymentmodule to charge according to the toll that corresponds to the volumeused by the user. The charging system is adapted to accept cash orcharge a deposit member card/debit card/credit card conveniently. Inaddition, through the user management module and because thecommunication module is connected to the database, the usage state ofthe user can be completely recorded in order to provide references forthe user or the manager of the system. The gas vending system for healthapplication of the present invention further comprises a video/Internetmodule and display device for the user to watch videos or surf theInternet while it is being used, and simultaneously provides acomfortable situation for the user.

With the examples and explanations mentioned above, the features andspirits of the invention are hopefully well described. More importantly,the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein.Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device may be made while retainingthe teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure shouldbe construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appendedclaims.

1. A gas vending system for health application, comprising: a healthygas generator module, used to generate a healthy gas, wherein thehealthy gas generator module comprises a hydrogen and oxygen generatormodule and a water filling module, the hydrogen and oxygen generatormodule for generating the healthy gas through electrolyzing aelectrolyzed water, the water filling module connected to the hydrogenand oxygen generator module for filling the electrolyzed water; acontrol module, connected to the healthy gas generator module formonitoring the usage state of the healthy gas and generating a volumeconsumption signal for the healthy gas; and a charging/payment module,connected to the control module for receiving the volume consumptionsignal for the healthy gas and generating a toll after computing, andthe charging/payment module is adapted to accept cash or charge a debitcard or credit card according to the toll.
 2. The gas vending system forhealth application of claim 1, further comprising a user managementmodule, connected to the control module and adapted to receive a userinput signal for altering the operations of the control module.
 3. Thegas vending system for health application of claim 2, further comprisinga communication module, connected to the user management module andadapted to connect with a database, used to receive the user inputsignal and then exchange information with the database.
 4. The gasvending system for health application of claim 2, further comprising anidentification module, connected to the user management module andadapted to identify biological characteristics of a user for generatingthe user input signal.
 5. The gas vending system for health applicationof claim 2, further comprising an input/output module, connected to theuser management module and adapted to receive an input of user and thengenerate the user input signal.
 6. The gas vending system for healthapplication of claim 1, further comprising a display device, connectedto the control module.
 7. The gas vending system for health applicationof claim 6, further comprising: a video/Internet module, connected tothe control module and the display device and adapted to provide a videooutput; and a communication module, connected to the video/Internetmodule, wherein the video/Internet module is connected to an Internetthrough the communication module.
 8. The gas vending system for healthapplication of claim 1, further comprising a communication module,connected to the charging/payment module, wherein the charging/paymentmodule is connected to a financial system through the communicationmodule.
 9. A gas vending system for health application, comprising: ahealthy gas generator module, used to generate a healthy gas, whereinthe healthy gas generator module comprises a hydrogen and oxygengenerator module, a water filling module, and an atomized gas mixingmodule, the hydrogen and oxygen generator module for generating thehealthy gas through electrolyzing electrolyzed water, the water fillingmodule connected to the hydrogen and oxygen generator module for fillingthe electrolyzed water, and the atomized gas mixing module connected tothe hydrogen and oxygen generator module for receiving the hydrogen andoxygen and then selectively mixes an atomized gas to generate thehealthy gas; a control module, connected to the healthy gas generatormodule for monitoring the usage state of the healthy gas and generatinga volume consumption signal for the healthy gas; and a charging/paymentmodule, connected to the control module for receiving the volumeconsumption signal of the healthy gas and generating a toll aftercomputing, and the charging/payment module is adapted to accept cash orcharge a debit card or credit card according to the toll.